Moving stair roller



Jan. 31, 1939.

P. W-. DEMPSEY MOVING'STAIR ROLLER Filed Aug. 7, 1936 W M. m

- ATTORNEY Patented Jau.31,1939 2,145,343

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOVING STAIR ROLLER Philip W. Dempsey, Pittsburgh, Pa., assiguor to The Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmcrding, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application Augusta, 1936, Serial No. 94,803

3 Claims. (01. 198-16) This invention relates to a roller of a type The hub I is formed of suitable material, such adapted to be employed in moving stairways or as cast iron or aluminum, and has a central porescalators. tion 4 and a peripheral portion 5 of substantially In moving stairways or escalators, chains or the same axialthickness, which are joined by a 5 cables are employed which are supported at short flange portion 6, which is somewhat thinner 5 intervals by rollers, and because of the length of than the central-and peripheral portions of the these stairways a large number of rollers are hub. required. As is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the draw- It is essential that these stairways or escalaing, the flange portion 6 has a plurality of holes 10 tors operate quietly, and because of the large 1 extending therethrough and spaced apart cir- 10 number of rollersemployed, it is necessary to cumferentially thereof. These holes are conical, reduce to a minimum the noise produced by and each increases in diameter from a point each roller. intermediate the ends of the hole substantially These rollers support relatively heavy loads, to the faces of the flange portion. These holes and it is essential that the rollers be constructed are filled with bodies, indicated at 8, formed of 1 so that they have suflicient strength to withstand rubber composition having fabric reinforcing emthese loads, while the faces of the rollers must bedded therein. These bodies are moulded in have sumcient wear resistance that they will place under pressure so that they firmly engage have a long life. the walls of the holes in which they are mounted.

at It is an object of this invention to provide an The peripheral portion 5 has formed thereon improved roller adapted for use on moving stairadjacent the faces thereof radially extending ways or escalators. flanges it. Each of these flanges has formed on A further object of the invention is to provide the axially inner face thereof an inwardly exa roller which is adapted to support heavy loads, tending portion indicated at H, which increases and which has a yielding, resilient surface which in thickness radially outwardly so as to form a 25 does not transmit vibrations so that the roller generally dove-tailed channel extending around will operate quietly. the circumference of the peripheral portion 5 Another object of the invention is to provide of the hub. an improved roller having a metallic hub por- Each of the flanges ill has formed in the inner go tion, and a yielding, resilient tire or rim portion face thereof at points spaced apart circumferensecured thereon in such a manner that the hub tially thereof, radially extending recesses it, and tire or rim portions will not separate. which are substantially the same axial depth as A further object of the invention is to provide the inwardly extending portion H on the flange. an improved roller of the type described having The recesses I 4 are of substantially less circumgg a metallic hub portion, and having means to ferential width than the spaces intermediate dampen vibrations in the 'hub portion and thus adjacent recesses, as is best shown in Fig; 3 of reduce the noise Produced ythe drawing, while the recesses M on one of Another object of the invention is to provide the flanges l0 are located substantially mid-way an improved r0 0f e typ described, which between the recesses on the other of the flanges M can be constructed readily at low cost and-which I0. 40 has a long life. Y The peripheral faces it of the flanges .Ill are Other objects of the invention and features conical in form, decreasing in diameter away of novelty will be apparent from the following from the faces of the hub portion, and, as is description taken in connection with the accombest shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, these surng panying drawing, in which faces extend across the inwardly extending por- Fig. l is an elevational view of a roller emtions 112 on the flanges ill. body e y invention, The rim portion, which is indicated generally Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken subby the reference numeral 2, is formed of moulded stantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and rubber composition having fabric reinforcing ma- 59 Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially terial embedded therein. The rim portion 2 is along t line of F gconstructed from a plurality of sheets of fabric Referring to the drawing, the roller shown impregnated with rubber composition and cut therein comprises a hub, indicated generally-- by into discs, which are fitted over the hubportion the reference numeral I, and a rim, indicated i. The discs which are positioned adjacent the w generally by the reference numeral 2. middle of the hub have somewhat smaller holes al therein than the discs located adjacent the faces of the hub portion, while the discs are of substantially the same diameter as the completed rollers. Enough discs are mounted on the hub so that when the discs are subjected to heavy pressure, the rim will be of substantially the thickness of the hub.

After a suitable number of discs are placed on the hub, the assembly is placed in cavities in suitable moulds, not shown, and subjected to pressure and heat for a time interval. This causes the rubber compound carried by the reinforcing fabric to be vulcanized, and a portion of this compound is forced into the spaces beneath the inwardly extending portions I! on the flanges Ill, and into the recesses l4 therein,

while the material of the rim is pressed firmly against the face of 'the hub portion.

The bodies 8 are vulcanized in place in the holes I in the flange portion 6 at thistime.

In use the roller is mounted on a shaft which extends through a bore in the central portion of the hub, and the load is supported on the periphery of the rim 2. Because of the shape of the faces IS on the flanges Ill, the material of the rim portion 2, when it is subjected to heavy weights, does not tend to spread, but instead the portions of the body of the rim which rest upon the surfaces I6 are forced against each other with the result that these forces off-set each other.

As the portions of the rim on opposite faces thereof are forcedagainst each other, the central portion of the rim is tightly compacted and this limits displacement of the surface portions, with the result that there can only be a relatively small movement of the surface portions-of the rim relative to the surfaces IS on the hub, so that the rim will not become detached or loosened from the hub portion.

In addition, the material of the rim portion extends into the dove-tail channel in the hub, which also serves to prevent loosening of the rim on the hub, while the material of the rim extends into the recesses ll in the flanges I0,

as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, so

as to prevent creeping or rotative movement of v rial of the rim strengthens the rim and helps to prevent it from being permanently deformed by the loads imposed thereon, while the layers of fabric extend to the outer face of the rim and increase its resistance to wear by abrasion as a flanges each having an axially inwardly t resu t o engagement therewith the PP L T ing portion thereon in the form of an interrupted V-sl}aped annulus located radially outwardly of the ace ofv the hub portion, whereby a portion of hub and the supported apparatus, while substantially no noise is produced by engagement and disengagement of the supported apparatus with the face of the rim 2.v

The hub [being formed ofmetal transmits vibrations readily. The flange portion 6, while relatively thick and of limited radial extent, if left intact, might emit vibrations which will produce an audible sound, but the roller provided by this invention has means to prevent these vibrations or to dampen them if they occur.

Thus it will be seen that the flange portioni has a plurality of holes extending therethrough, and that these holes are tightly filled with rubber composition, which is resiliently yieldable. If the flange portion 6 should vibrate, the bodies 8 will ported on said flanges.

absorb and dampen these vibrations and thus reduce or eliminate noises which would otherwise be produced.

While one embodiment of the improved roller provided by this invention has been illustrated 5 and described in detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to these details of construction, and that numerous changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. 1

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a metallic hub havinga central portion, 1 a peripheral portion and a flange portion extending between said central and peripheral portions, the flange portion being of substantially less axial extent than the other portions and having openings extending therthrough at points spaced 2 apart circumferentially thereof said openings decreasing in diameter away from the faces of the said flange portions, each of said openings having a body of moulded composition therein in firm engagement with the walls thereof. a 25 thereon, said flanges having axially inwardly extending portions thereon locatedradiallyoutwardly of the face of the hub portion the p'eriphe'ral face of each of the flanges being frusto-conical in form, the portions of said flanges of smallest diameter being located at the axially inner ends of said flanges, and a rim portion comprising a body of rubber composition having fabric reinforcing material embedded therein and moulded in place under pressure on said hub between said flanges, the rim extending over and being supfrusto-conical faces on said "3-; In a device of the class described, in combination, a unitary metallic hub having spaced I radially extending flanges formed thereon, said reduced width is provided radially outwardly of the face of the hub portion, and a rim portion .formed of rubber composition moulded in position 6 on said hub, the outer peripheral surfaces of said V-shaped .portions merging with the outer peripheral edges of the flanges and thus forming frusto-conical faces having their portions of larger diameter located at the axially outer ends thereof, whereby when the material of which the rim is constructed is mounted on said-hub and is subjected to pressure hr the moulding process it will readily flow to the area adjacent the face of the hub and will fill the space radially inwardly PHILIP w; DEMPSEYJ 7 

